The President of the Republic of Belarus

The President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko

An overview of the role and responsibilities of Aleksandr Lukashenko, head of state of Belarus since 1994

The President of Belarus is the country’s head of state, the guarantor of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, the rights and liberties of man and citizen. His authority is established and defined by the Belarus Constitution and by the Presidential Act of the Republic of Belarus.

The current president of Belarus is Aleksandr Lukashenko. He was elected to the post in 1994 and is now serving his fifth term.

How is the President elected?

The Belarusian President is directly elected by the people of Belarus for a 5-year term of office.

Any Belarusian citizen over the age of 18 can vote in the elections.

Presidential candidates must be:

a citizen of Belarus

over 35 years old

resident in Belarus for at least 10 years

Presidential responsibilities

The President is responsible for:

the sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus

national security

territorial integrity

politicalandeconomic stability

As well as being head of state, the President also fulfils a number of other roles including:

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Belarus

Head of the Security Council

What are the powers of the President?

The President of Belarus has wide-reaching powers. These include:

implementing the key principles of domestic and foreign policy

representing the State of Belarus on the international stage

calling regular and extraordinary Parliament elections

appointing the Prime Minister and the Chair of the principal courtsin Belarus

signing bills

granting pardons to convicted prisoners

awarding state honours, ranks and titles

Presidential privileges

As head of state, the President of Belarus enjoys full immunity. In addition, theConstitution states that the honour and dignity of the Presidential office should always be protected.